Portal

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 12th October 2007
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Thinking with Portals

As Portal begins, Chell is awaking and is ushered by a broken, feminine voice into a room which comprises the first of several increasingly complicated test sequences. While the first puzzle is by no means complicated (really, a blind monkey could do it by accident) the puzzles soon get awesomely complex thanks to the introduction of the titular portal device.

That's the "Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device," to be exact. When it’s first introduced to the player, it can only shoot a single blue portal which automatically connects to any orange portals in the room. Then, it’s possible for players to travel between the two portals by simply stepping through one or the other.

As the game goes on, the portal gun gets more complex and gains the ability to shoot two portals at once – one on the left mouse button and one on the right mouse button.

Now, there are some things to bear in mind about the portals and the core of the gameplay is formed around subtly using and abusing the rules of physics by their use.

Portal Thinking with portals
Click to enlarge

The first thing to bear in mind is that portals can’t be placed on all surfaces. Smooth, flat surfaces are the only ones which can hold a portal of sufficient size for Chell to travel through and the level designers have used water and bumpy or curved surfaces to stop you breaking the game.

Don’t worry, there are still multiple ways to solve a puzzle and there are dozens of paths through each room, but the limitation is used to help form the puzzles and make them suitably difficult.

In fact, when you think about it, designing the levels must have been a headache and a half. The designers would have to make sure that each area can be completed by creating an unwinnable state while still maintaining the idea that each level also has multiple ways to solve it.

Another thing to know is that momentum is carried over between portals. It’s difficult to explain but to use the words of the Aperture Science Enrichment Centre, ‘speedy thing go in, speedy thing go out’. You retain the speed you entered the first portal with when you emerge from the second portal – regardless of orientation.

Portal Thinking with portals Portal Thinking with portals
Click to enlarge

Which is something else which is interesting and nauseating about the game and the portal gun – orientation. Because Chell has the ability to place portals on different angles, she’ll often emerge at odds with gravity and the screen will spin and correct itself if you fall out upside down or on your side.

Falling is something you can expect to be doing a lot of too, which makes the leg braces which Chell wears a useful addition to her abilities. Well, at least we thought they were leg braces when we previewed the game. Turns out, they’re actually ‘advanced knee joint replacements’ which render Chell immune to fall damage.

The knee enhancements are a handy thing for Chell to have, especially considering that she doesn’t have a HEV suit of any type and has no HUD or armour to speak of. The poor girl doesn’t even have any weapons, so she needs every little advantage she can get her hands on – knee replacements, portal guns, cake, the lot.

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